A Wellington primary school's decision to use taxis to transport pupils is again under scrutiny after its taxi bill for last year was revealed as almost $60,000.
Russell School in Porirua spent $58,948.35 transporting children to and from school last year, National MP Murray McCully said yesterday, quoting Official Information
Act figures.
More was spent on taxis than on paying the school's office staff.
Taxis transported 145 pupils last year and were being used for 140 pupils this year - more than half of the roll of 268 children.
Previous reports had estimated the school spent $30,000 a year to transport about a third of its pupils.
Acting principal Ruth O'Neill said the school began using taxis in 1991 to transport three Cambodian refugee pupils who were relocated several times when they first came to New Zealand.
As the number of Cambodian refugee children at the school increased, so did the demand for taxi use, and the service was extended to cover students in the Maori and Samoan bilingual classes.
"These children live at several addresses in any given year. This ensures they received uninterrupted learning. Our attendance and truancy rates are much improved."
She said children's safety was also greater with the use of taxis, including students under the care of Child, Youth and Family and Women's Refuge, and special needs children.
The service was not advertised to attract enrolments, the school received a discount from the taxi company and it used cash reserves, not operations funding, to pay for them.
Under the Government's school funding formula, schools with a decile 1 rating receive between $550 and $1100 more a pupil than the richest decile 10 schools.
Mr McCully acknowledged that schools in low socio-economic areas faced greater challenges, but said the amount being spent on taxis showed the decile funding formula was not working.
Education Minister Trevor Mallard said he remained opposed to schools using taxis.
- NZPA
